The Hardest Part of Scaling Isn’t the Tech

By Ancel Draai, Senior Director, Growth – HRP (Human Resource & Payroll Services), UKIA

Scaling a business isn’t just about growth, it’s about making sure your systems, processes, and people evolve at the same pace. I’ve seen too many companies focus on the tech and forget the transformation part. The result? Fancy systems that nobody uses and old habits that refuse to die.

I work with teams across industries to implement Sage 300 People in a way that supports real growth. And one thing has become clear: scaling isn’t about adding software. It’s about rethinking how you work—before, during, and after go-live.

Here’s what I’ve learned about what actually works.

Going live with a new HR or payroll system isn’t the finish line; it’s the starting point. But many businesses treat go-live as a checkbox, missing the real value that comes after.

• People often build habits around outdated systems. When a new system arrives, they struggle to unlearn what no longer serves them 
• Resistance to change isn’t about the system itself, it’s about fear of the unknown. That’s why we focus so much on explaining the “why” behind the change 
• Post-go-live support and training matter just as much as the initial rollout. Change isn’t a moment, it’s a process 

If you go live and then walk away, you’re leaving value on the table. Real transformation happens when the system evolves with your team, guided by intentional change management, not just configuration.

When it comes to HR and payroll, compliance isn’t optional—but culture isn’t either. The challenge is building a system that supports both.

• Payroll needs to be accurate, legal, and consistent. That’s non-negotiable. But it shouldn’t come at the cost of flexibility 
• HR processes should empower people, not just track them. Performance reviews should be forward-looking and built around individual goals 
• Giving employees more control, like self-service leave management, changes the relationship between people and the business 

When you strike the right balance between compliance and culture, you move from a control-based system to a conversation-based one. That’s where real engagement begins.

In a growing business, systems can’t operate in silos. Integration is what makes scaling possible, without creating chaos.

• Payroll, time and attendance, and finance are deeply connected. Automating the handoffs between them removes friction and improves accuracy 
• When payroll data is aligned with financial insights, you can make better decisions—from hiring to project costing 
• With tools like Power BI or Tableau, integrated systems give you real-time insights across the board 

Done right, integration doesn’t create fragility, it builds resilience. That’s how you future-proof your tech stack while keeping it responsive to business needs.

If your performance management isn’t working, digitising it won’t help. In fact, it might make things worse.

• Too many teams rush into setup without defining what success looks like. Start with the outcomes, not the tool 
• A good implementation asks tough questions about job roles, KPIs, and what actually needs to be measured 
• Performance systems should be future-focused, not backward-looking. It’s about growth, not just justification 

Scaling means scaling the right things. If your old process is broken, use the transition to redesign it, not just automate it. That’s the only way tech becomes a real asset.

Scaling isn’t just about doing more, it’s about doing things differently. And the biggest barrier to growth isn’t your HR tech. It’s how willing you are to let go of what no longer works.

The teams that succeed are the ones who treat go-live as a transformation, not a transaction. They build for culture, design for change, and integrate for growth. That’s where systems like Sage 300 People deliver real value—not just in features, but in outcomes.

Learn more about how Sage Intacct supports HR and payroll integration.